In women’s T20Is, Renuka Singh has taken 38 wickets at an average of 21.13. Of all the fast bowlers from Full-Member sides, only Arlene Kelly of Ireland has taken more wickets since her debut in October 2021. Pooja Vastrakar, who has taken 21 wickets at 24.80 throughout this time, is also in the top ten.
In the one-off Test match against England last week, Renuka and Vastrakar, who bowled quickly for India, took a combined six wickets. Troy Cooley, the bowling instructor, has commended their work ethic and acknowledged their expansion of skill sets.
“[Renuka] is definitely getting better every time I see her,” Cooley remarked following Tuesday’s India training session at Wankhede Stadium. “She has worked incredibly hard to increase her talents and fitness in addition to recovering from a few ailments. The fruits of all your hard work are finally beginning to appear. She not only instinctively swings the ball back in. The ball that she now has straightens and leaves the right-handers in the dirt.”
Due to a stress injury, Renuka has not been able to play since the conclusion of WPL 2023. Her first international matches since her return were the T20Is against England earlier this month, and she looked good with the new ball. She used the bowling crease well to create angles that taxed the hitters, dismissing England’s opener Sophia Dunkley three times in the T20Is and once in the first innings of the Test.
Cooley remarked, “It’s great to see her using the angles.” “The manner she is organizing the delivery and the quantity of supplies she has available truly appeals to me. She now has a huge toolkit, and she is undoubtedly employing it strategically and tactically.”
Vastrakar, who debuted internationally in 2018, had a career plagued by injuries in the beginning. However, she has been an essential part of India’s white-ball teams for the past few years. This year, she was listed as a non-traveling reserve for the Asian Games, but she managed to make the squad when Anjali Sarvani unexpectedly showed up the night before the tournament began. She then went on to assist India win the gold medal in the final with a four-for.
Vastrakar dismantled England’s top order in the Test match by bowling Nat Sciver-Brunt through the gate for a first-ball duck in the second dig, among other hard lengths and the wobble seam. Cooley credited her victory to attacking lines and a well-balanced run-up.
“She had a little bit of a sore knee and she came back through that nicely,” said Cooley. “She committed herself to enhancing and optimizing her run-up during her rehabilitation. She did a fantastic job there. She is now more proportionate at the crease.
“Now that the hitters are in the stumps, you can see their innate tendency to challenge them. As far as a bowling instructor goes, this is wonderful since she has her run-up figured out. She is a decent red-ball bowler because she has the necessary pace and variety.”
At the DY Patil Stadium, in their first Test match in two years, and their first at home in nine years, India defeated England for 136 and 131, with offspinner Deepti Sharma taking nine wickets in the victory. The fast bowlers increased the pressure on England’s hitters by holding their own even when they didn’t make any gains. According to Cooley, the bowlers have expanded their arsenal of weapons and are also aware of when to employ them.
“I know behind the scenes what work they are putting in and the growth has been in line with the work they have done,” he stated. “The addition of new skills and variants is the largest enhancement. Not only that, but control and knowing when to use them also play a beautiful role.
“We talk about talking to the ball now, and they are receiving some solid responses back. This is the philosophy behind what ball they are going to employ, whether to attack or defend. They still have a ways to go, but they are willing to do so and have the work ethic to accomplish it. They are progressing rather nicely.
They have the backing of both the captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, and the new head coach, Amol Muzumdar, who is adamant that every player who enters the training or competition is there to better themselves. He wants to see continual improvements leading up to the upcoming World Cups, and we have a conducive climate for that under his direction.”
Even during the local T20s, the fast bowlers put in a lot of work behind the scenes, according to Cooley, who felt that this would help them greatly during India’s impending home series against Australia.
“These girls have been doing extra work in the last two-three months,” he stated. “They have an incredible work ethic. Even though they are participating in the domestic T20 league, they will be working hard behind the scenes to ensure that their stamina and ability to perform in Test matches and in international cricket are increasing steadily. The medical personnel, coaching staff, and S&C [strength and conditioning] staff deserve special recognition for coming together, creating these strategies, and putting them into action.”
Punia was summoned as Shubha’s backup.
In India’s first training session before the one-off Test match against Australia, Priya Punia was observed batting for an extended period of time. She began with throwdowns for around twenty minutes, then batted against a good dose of rapid bowling and spin. There was no sign of Shubha Satheesh, who scored the highest on his debut against England with 69 runs.
After receiving a blow to her left ring finger during training prior to the start of the second day’s play, Shubha was declared out for the remainder of the match. Her left hand was shown to be in a splint, and Harmanpreet later revealed that she had sustained a dislocation and a broken finger.
Punia had been called up in case a replacement was required, Cooley confirmed.
“No update on Shubha, the medical team would have got hold of that,” he stated. “We find it very upsetting that she should have a knock on her finger after playing such a strong game. We’re hoping for a speedy recovery. We are bringing in a backup player just in case. The team’s strength and balance are still present, and Punia is a very excellent player. If [Shubha] is unavailable, we shall miss her.”
